The PQ3000 lesson quilt is coming along.....

and it has been a long time in the planning.  So I will be able to get the new PQers their training time.  I was thinking that I would offer the time on Saturday afternoons, say 1 - 4 pm, and limit it to two people so that we can be very concentrated on the task!  I think three hours at a time is more than enough so there will be two sessions whenever the PQers can make the time.  The quilt that is produced in these sessions will be the workbook.  Any PQers out there let me know what you think.

Since I am also putting the lesson into a manual form, all those who are too far away to come for lessons, I will get this out to you as soon as it is complete.

Sometimes I get a little overwhelmed by how much is going on around here, so I am very grateful to the people around me who support me, encourage me and put up with my stress fallouts.  Now and again I need to be reminded of how much we have achieved as a team in the last year or so.  It may seem that we are behind and trying to catch up but so much has been done despite how much more there is to do - I get the feeling that that is what life is generally about for most people.  We should all stop and breath now and again, so tomorrow I will set aside time for the engineer and enjoy some relaxing time doing anything that is not work related!

There is still a lot to plan.  New designs - yes SH I am getting to them - they are in my head and need to come out to make room for other things, show quilts, teaching, developing the laser system and patterns for the PQ3000 and finishing the house.  And, of course, there is still the kennel to take care of and keep running.

But while this is all going on there are wonderful distractions.  Australian Open tennis, the upcoming football culminating in Superbowl and the promise of Spring.  The joy of living here in South Carolina is that when it is really cold, as it was this morning, you just know that it will change either tomorrow, next week or, at the latest, in a couple of months.  It was a little crazy to run in 60F yesterday morning and get up to 31F today, but variety is the spice of life!

Time to pour a glass of wine, settle on the couch to watch some tennis and go to bed.  It may have been a stressful day today but tomorrow is a brand new start.  There is just one little problem to report - my other assistant (not the lovely Lindsay) but the softy Jyl, has been psyched by the Quilter's dog, Bandit.  She was seen feeding the said dog from a bowl, with a spoon, and he was loving it!  Now we have all tried numerous methods of feeding Bandit - he is the pickiest eater ever.  But he was truly inspired when he trained Jyl to spoon feeding.  And he has also trained me to buy him really expensive canned food for Jyl to feed him!  (He is 14 years old and we are seriously trying to get him to eat since he is losing a bit of ground).  However, the side affect of the canned food has been a little smelly today, and we have discovered that trying to cover it up with natural citrus spray leads to smelly citrus smelling stuff - phew!!  And he is currently lying beside the couch and not so gently getting smelly again - so I am closing now and leaving the room.

I've been instructed to blog....

but it's really getting late and I ran three miles this morning and played two tough sets of tennis tonight and I am so tired.  I tried the hot tub and lasted ten minutes but it did help ease my back - I am paying for the extra weight I gained over the holidays and it's going to take a while to get back on track!  The half marathon training was going well but I missed the Saturday five mile run while I was at the show in Florida.  It went well considering that the attendance was not very good!  And then I had a great time at the guild demonstration on Monday - what a great group of people.

So, forgive me, I am going to bed and I'll catch up with everything tomorrow.

Do you think I'm getting older?? - never!!

Life can get a little too exciting sometimes.....

as when we found out that we have been accepted to vend with the PQ3000 in Grand Rapids, Michigan in August.  Now that is a big show and I need to get a number of quilts made and quilted on the PQ to show what can be achieved.

I am still excited about the Lake Worth show but there is a lot to do tomorrow, so early run, breakfast with the engineer and then head down and get through everything before leaving on Thursday morning.  Training for the half marathon is on track, but I may have trouble finding somewhere safe to run five miles on Saturday  morning.

This sketchy diagram is why I use EQ7 to design my quilts - only I could translate this!

So here I am trying to draw the sketchy quilt on a muslin quilt sandwich.

 But I got it and I am now practicing on the PQ3000.  And once again I prove to myself why I hate dark thread on light backgrounds.  Tomorrow I will change to white thread and show how much nicer tone on tone looks on a quilt.  Still it shows what can be done with the frame and all those straight lines are stitched also!  Practice, practice, practice.

Time to tidy house!  It's only acceptable to take clean dishes out of the dishwasher for a few days if you have a second dishwasher for dirty dishes - I wish!  Laundry needs folding and putting away - again dressing out of the tumble dryer every morning is probably not a good idea long term.

No more blogging until I get back from Florida - and then I should have a ton of stuff to blog about!

Finally sorted out the picture thing.......

And now we are using Google Chrome as the internet service for blogging.   Things have been busy this week and a lot did get done.  Although Bandit seemed quite happy to hold down the floor while we all stepped over him to get back and forth!

The studio move around is complete - we have a couple of little bugs to sort out such as 'where did we put that?'   The picture below was the old layout and Jyl (that is her foot) pulling up all the sponge tiles so that they could get a hosing off.

Now both the machines are on the same side of the studio.  The bookcase in the front is moving and the cupboards behind the design wall are going to end up in the new classroom.  Take note of the quilt on the design wall - not mine but an update in a little bit!

So, late one afternoon half way through the move I decided to lay laminate floor in the classroom.  Lindsay and I are surveying the mess and Bandit is hedging his bets as to where he should move next.  Is the new laminate more comfortable or should he stick with the carpet area?

And there is nothing for it but to finish the job!  

And while we were scrabbling around on the floor Jeeves was busy piecing together the latest version of Sensation Two.  I decided that it needed a very small border between the center of the quilt and the outside border with the blocks.  Hard to tell in the picture, but it made a huge difference.  This one will definitely be custom quilted for a show.

My T-Shirt quilt with all my tennis shirts is also completed and on the frame to get quilted and bound ready for the show in Lake Worth, FL on Friday and Saturday this week.  I am leaving in the early hours of Thursday morning to set up the PQ3000 and show everyone what can be achieved with this quilting frame!

Finally - the quilt on the design wall - Jyl's.  It is a spectacular pattern and beautifully made - we had a little conversation about the quilting required - hands up anyone who thinks an allover is OK on this gorgeous quilt.  I thought so - NO-ONE JYL!!  We'll work it out......

So now we are into the business of 2013 - payroll quarterly and annual returns, W2s, tax returns and all manner of lovely paperwork.  So, I ask very nicely, think about the small business owners slaving over their responsibilities and struggling to pay their taxes and their employees and go support them in this new year.  They employ a lot of your friends!

I may be getting too old.....

to scrabble around laying flooring - but it has to be finished, so the hot tub will be the solution to the aching muscles later.

I really hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year's Eve and that they spent the time with friends and family.  I am so grateful for all my friends who fed us and spoiled us and to the engineer for a wonderful holiday season and my heart goes out to anyone who was lonely or suffering.

So - what's going on?  Well - lots!

Seemed that it was time to move the studio around, partly to clean and partly to get a new look and free up some space in the classroom.  And with all the Christmas rush done it was a good time to start.  Bear in mind that moving these machines and the tables is not for the weak hearted!

I have the pictures of the before and during and there will be after pictures as well, but it seems that the blog software does not want to upload pictures tonight and I am way too tired to fight about it now - so pictures to follow!

I have set myself a number of goals for the year - I don't believe in resolutions as they go down the pan too soon.  I am heading to the couch with my project book and listing them all out and I will post them tomorrow.  As a teaser - one goal is to finally get that show quilt made and quilted - I don't know which show, but it will place!

So - to the couch - training for the half marathon can wait until my run on Saturday (4 miles) as I figure that sawing and laying floor all day constitutes 30 minutes of rowing!

I am so excited about 2013 - I am going to make it my year!